QUEST WORLD

Hey, I Can Fly!

"Tell me what he's making you do!" the hedgewitch screams at me. There's a tremor in her voice that matches the way she shakes the bundle of plants at me. Is she crying?

I hold my hands up in surrender. "My uncle—"

"Not your uncle. The king."

I suck in a breath. "I don't know what you heard me say, but I'm not—"

"Don't deny it!" Yep, she's definitely crying now. She lurches closer, threatening me with whatever plant spell she has, but a slant of rising dawn catches on the tears on her cheeks. "I'm sick of people denying it! I've caught you in the act—you're luring ogres here to get murdered. Tell me why the king is doing this!"

"I don't know!" I match her scream. This night has shredded what thin resolve I have—I'm done. "My uncle's a greedy jackass who makes me leave fried fingers out for the ogres. The king? The king isn't involved! Why in the six hells would he care about how a Morine brownie runs his business?"

"You're his daughter!" the hedgewitch accuses. "I heard you!"

"Like hells I am!" I shriek the words at her. As if it's her fault. "I am not related to the gods-damned king of Ildodar. Look at me! Do I look like I'm in service to the crown? Eight and a half gods, has everyone collectively lost their minds tonight? I'm not the king's daughter, I'm not an Author, I'm not—"

The hedgewitch flinches so hard she drops her plant bundle. "An Author?"

Oh.

I realize now it might have been a mistake to scream all my problems at a complete stranger.

"Um—" I fumble for an excuse, but I'm so tired. "No. Sorry. I have to go."

I try to cut around the hedgewitch, but she grabs my arm in passing.

"It was you who used magic earlier," she tells me. It isn't a question. "I felt a pull."

I shrug. This close, I see I was right—she does have moss in her hair. I can't tell if it's growing out of her matted brown strands or if its some kind of hedgewitch accessory, but there's also dirt smudged across her cheek and the distinct smell of green plants coming off of her patchwork dress.

The witch nods when I don't respond. "That was really stupid. Using magic, I mean."

"Tell me about it. It wasn't my idea." I wave down the hill, back towards The Dizzy Ogre. "This crazy man came in and gave me a quill—"

"Amelie!"

Steel comes charging up the hill, crashing through undergrowth with all the grace of a newborn puppy.

Did I summon him?

So far this Author magic is pretty useless if all I can do is blow up quills and summon Steel.

"Shit," I curse.

The witch spins around, grabbing her plant bundle off the ground as she does. By the time Steel gets to us, he's winded, his too-old nobleman's uniform streaked with dirt and sweat.

"Stay back," the witch warns him, holding out the plants, "or you'll spend the rest of your life as a toad."

Hey, it is a spell to turn someone into a reptilian-type creature. I was right.

"Amelie," Steel pants, "I need to talk to you. Please. You aren't safe here now—"

"This is the crazy man?" the witch clarifies.

"Just to clarify, when I recite this story later, you'll also be described as the crazy witch," I say, "but yes. Crazy man who made me use magic, meet crazy witch who—stalked me?" I frown at the witch, my mind circling back to why she was here at all.